The Erinyes a.k.a. the Furies were Greek goddesses of retribution. They avenged crimes against the natural order, particularly homicide, unfilial conduct, crimes against the gods, and perjury. If you were seeking justice you called upon the Erinyes to place a curse on the criminal. They sound like mythic superheros.

Born from the blood of Ouranos after being castrated by his son Kronos, Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto wore long black robes of mourners and wielded whips. They had wings with hair, arms and waists entwined with poisonous serpents. They were servants of Haides and Persephone and oversaw the torture of criminals consigned to the Dungeons of the Damned.

Their wrath manifested in a number of ways. The most severe of these was the tormenting madness inflicted upon a patricide or matricide. Murderers suffered illness or disease. If you and/or your village harbored a criminal, you suffered a lack of supplies and with it hunger and disease. There was way to rectify the situation. A person would have to perform the rite ritual purification and an assigned task for atonement.

Curious to the answer of this week's question? You'll find it in today's post. The Rougarou has various alternate spellings as well as being attached to several cultures: the French, Native American and English. This legend has a werewolf quality to it.

Through the French culture, the Rougarou, or as it is sometimes known as Loup garou, is thought to appear with a human body and head of a dog or wolf. Some stories say it will hunt down Catholics if they don't follow the rules of Lent or break it seven years in a row. Obviously, these stories are told to persuade children to behave. Another legend states, the Rougarou is under a spell for 101 days. After this time has passed, the curse transfers to another person, of which the original is drinking blood from. The former creature turns human once again and goes on living life as normal.

In Native American folktales, the Rugaru is sometimes described as being like bigfoot or a wendigo. Some stories state if you see a Rugaru you turn in to one, and is to wander the Earth forever as this monster. Rugaru is not a Native American term. It is believed they picked it up from French Canadian trappers and/or missionaries. While wendigos are feared, Rugarus are considered more sacred like bigfoots.

The Old English version of this tale was used as inspiration for an episode of Supernatural. This legend dates back to the 16th Century. They considered the Rugaru as more of a genetic defect rather than something you could catch from another person or a spell. Basically, a person with this gene would live a normal life until it becomes active. Then, the creature's bones moves under its skin and it gains an uncontrollable hunger trait, craving raw meat. However, the final transformation wouldn't be attained until the creature takes a bite of human flesh. Then, the skin and eyes seems to rot. There are only two ways to kill a Rugaru: fire and decapitation. The supposed "attacks" have taken place up until 2008. The victim was a child and the Rugaru was scared off by their father. Many missing person cases are believed to be linked with this creature.

Loch Ness Monsters. Bigfoot. Chupacabra. Stories of these creatures have existed for years, but not much photographic proof has brought credibility to any. The Borneo Monster in Malaysia is now in the news for that same reason.

A disaster team monitoring flood conditions spotted something unusual in the Baleh River. It is thought to be the Borneo Monster a.k.a. Nabau, a 100 ft snake-like creature. Photos of this alledge creature have surfaced, two to be exact. One was taken from a helicopter. The other from land. But is it the real deal or another hoax? I've seen both. One looks obviously fake. The other appears more believable to perhaps an untrain eye like myself.

Benjamin Radford from LiveScience brings up a lot good questions though. For example, the photos were submitted anonymously. If I had pictures of a mythical creature, I would want credit for it. That's the proof of the century. Also, why are there only two photos? If I see something weird, I'm not going to take only two pictures of it. Did the guy/girl run out of film or memory or something? Until answers are provided for these questions, I'm going to assume this is just another hoax.

Bachelor Grove is well known as a former mob dumping ground. Brown Springs in Thackerville, Oklahoma is also known for its body dumping past. Nestled in a low area near Chickasaw Smoke Shoppe, Brown Springs flows in to a nearby lagoon. It's neighbor is a cemetery founded in the 19th Century.

Over the last couple of decades, bodies have been discovered in the springs. These people met violent deaths in Dallas and then were taken to their final resting place in Brown Springs. Several were found in the 1970s. Then, one in 1989. One of the last ones found was a woman from Gainesville. In 1997, she was found in the springs on top of her car.

Some visitors to Brown Springs have been pulled to particular grave sites. Trees bleed. There have been sightings of a little girl standing next to a headstone marked "Butch".

If you're familiar with Bobby Mackey's Music World then you know of Bobby and his wife Janet. On February 15th, Janet Mackey died in Alexandra, Kentucky. She was 60 yrs old.

Family will receive friends on Tuesday from 5pm to 9pm at Barbour & Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will take place on Wednesday, February 18th at noon. The day of what would have been Bobby and Janet's 42nd anniversary. The burial will take place at Pine Grove Cemetery, Concord, Kentucky. She will be missed.

The International Paranormal Acknowledgment Awards is currently accepting nominees. Paranormal investigators, groups, and enthusiasts are all welcome. You don't have to be a nominee to sign up. Join and network with others. It's Free!

If you're nominating yourself or someone else, you must complete three criteria. First, sign up. Second, email your nominee submission questionnaire which includes your name, telephone number, address and category or categories you want to be nominated for. Some categories include Best Personal/Fan Club, Best Informative Website, Best National Paranormal Group/Team, Best National Spirit Medium (male and female), and Best Paranormal Movie/Documentary. Last, place you're "I Am a Nominee" button/banner on your site. If you're nominating someone else, you will need the info for the questionnaire and they will have to complete criteria 1 and 3.

As I said, this is all free, but you must hurry. The nomination window ends on February 28th.

If you haven't noticed, it's award season and the biggie is taking place on February 22nd. In honor of the Academy Awards, Laurie Jacobson, author of Hollywood Haunted: A Ghostly Tour of Filmland, will be posting two weeks (10 Oscar-related ghost stories).

The fort that once saved America is in need of saving now. Fort Mifflin built in 1771 by the British is being hit hard by the down economy and needs your help. Basically, they need money. The more the better.

Some of the paranormal community have started to come to its aid. Para X Radio Network has launched a crusade on behalf of the fort. PARA a.k.a. Philadelphia Area Research & Assistance will host three paranormal events at Fort Mifflin. The first two will take place on May 16 & 17, 2009. Both will contain a series of lectures and paranormal investigations led by experience paranormal investigators. The third will take place on June 26th, 2009. The first annual East Coast Paranormal Investigators Conference will also be held at the fort on October 9th – 11th 2009.

The re-enacting community has also come to its defense. The 69th Penna. Volunteer Infantry will perform both Irish Traditional music and Civil War period music. This will participate in a living history if needed as well. This camp type performance will take place on the weekend of May 23rd 2009.

Fans of ghost towns pay close attention. High in the Inyo Mountains lies a town known as Cerro Gordo a.k.a. "Fat Hill". First discovered by Mexican miners led by Pablo Flores in 1865 soon became the go to spot for silver. It produced 4.5 million ounces of silver in the 1870s and 1880s. As it was popular for mining silver, it also received a reputation from the multitude of deaths, approximately a murder a week. By the early 1900s, the price of silver dropped and soon converted into a ghost town.

The town once known for silver is now known for its ghosts. The stories range from ghostly cats to women. One of Cerro Gordo's most famous ghosts is that of Alphonse Benoit. He worked as a woodcutter at a nearby lumber camp during the late 1800s. Now as to what happened to him is a bit sketchy for me. I've read conflicting accounts (feel free to correct me). Some say he was murdered in the mine. Others say he murdered several people and escaped to the Inyo Mountains (there was a manhunt and everything) and was later found surrounded by the crushed skulls of his victims. Either way he now supposedly haunts The American Hotel or at least that is where he is seen more often than none.

You can visit Cerro Gordo if you like but for a fee you can actually spend the night. The American Hotel has been turned in to a bed and breakfast.

If you're a fan of Paranormal State, you're already familiar with this game. Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai a.k.a. Ancient Japanese Candle Game is simple to play. At night, you light a hundred candles. All players gather around these candles and one by one tell a kaidan or ghost story. After each person tells a story, you extinguish a candle until all have been blown out. The object of the game is to evoke spirits, a hundred to be exact.

It's unknown how this game began. However, it is believed Samurai warriors were the first to play as a test of courage. It later became popular among the townspeople. Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai and an advancement in technology led to many kaidan themed books, collecting stories from Japan and China.

If you're in the Jackson, New Jersey area, stop by the The Jackson Library on Feb. 7th. At 2 pm, L'Aura L. Hladik, founder of the New Jersey Ghost Hunters Society and author of Ghost Hunting: New Jersey, will present "Mysteries of the Paranormal". The program covers ghosts, bigfoot, crop circles, Quija Board and so on.

The program is free and open to the public. However, registration is required. Call 732-928-4400 to register or swing by the main desk at the Jackson library.